SpaceX Tests Mechazilla’s ‘Chopsticks’ to Catch Super Heavy Booster in Future Missions

There is now a series of several tests happening at SpaceX's Starbase at Boca Chica, Texas, where they are testing the capabilities of the Mechazilla, a.k.a. the "chopsticks" that will catch its rockets as they return. Over the past few years, Elon Musk and SpaceX have boasted of the Mechazilla as the game changer for its Starship program, helping with its launch and land needs.

So far, Mechazilla has not been used to catch a returning rocket from its flight, and SpaceX has only seen one successful test flight of the Starship program.

SpaceX Tests Mechazilla 'Chopsticks' Over at Starbase

SpaceX announced that it is currently testing Mechazilla at Starbase. This is an essential set of tests as the company prepares for a future test mission for the Super Heavy. The video from the private space company showed how Mechazilla would swing to the left to open up the catch tower, one of the needed motions for the upcoming feat.

According to another post from SpaceX, this is an important test for the Starship program, particularly as it is touted as a reusable rocket, one that could be used rapidly and be a reliable spacecraft for future missions.

The company also shared a video render of how the Super Heavy would be caught by Mechazilla in the future, with the massive machine helping to retrieve it and return it to its launch position.

SpaceX to Catch Super Heavy Soon with Mechazilla

SpaceX did not reveal when the company would conduct its upcoming Super Heavy Booster test involving Mechazilla for the first time since its introduction. For over four years, this has been one of the most important tasks for Mechazilla to do, with the machine made for catching the rockets to make its aspirations to deliver reusable rockets under the Starship a reality.

SpaceX's Mechazilla and the Starship Program

When Elon Musk and SpaceX attempted the first full-stacking of its Starship and Super Heavy Booster, the event was canceled because of strong winds that might knock it over. However, there was no longer any fear when Mechazilla entered the picture, as this structure helps in the stacking procedure, will hold the rocket while it launches, and was designed to catch it upon its return.

SpaceX and Musk's plan for the Starship is to make it one of the most iconic reusable spacecraft for their missions and commercial partnerships, with Mechazilla being a key piece to its goals. In 2021, SpaceX first tested Mechazillaand what it has to offer, with its chopsticks-like capability swinging its arms and showing one of the many motions it will need to catch the rockets.

Almost four years later, Mechazilla remains, and while it supported Starship's full-stack throughout those years, there are still massive plans for the machine. Now, it is back in testing following the successful Starship test flight, and SpaceX is touting its catching capabilities using its 'chopsticks' to soon catch the Super Heavy as it returns.